And This Shall Be for Music: SATB Choral Octavo

Johnson's gift for melody shines throughout this setting of Robert Louis Stevenson's text. The writing balances accessibility with genuine sophistication, offering singers expressive material that rewards careful musicianship without demanding virtuosic technical demands. The optional SSA divisi cues built into the score give directors flexibility to adapt the piece to their ensemble's needs while keeping the core four-part structure intact.

Warm and introspective, with a lyrical quality that lets Stevenson's language breathe naturally across the four voices. The piece unfolds with a sense of intimate expression, inviting listeners into a moment of personal reflection while maintaining clarity and forward motion throughout.

High school, collegiate, and community choirs looking for repertoire that combines poetic text with accessible yet genuinely expressive music. This works well for choirs preparing for concert performances or festival competitions, and for ensembles seeking contemporary secular works that engage singers musically without requiring advanced vocal ranges.

• Honor the lyricism in each voice line; this piece breathes naturally when singers shape phrases around the text rather than pushing for uniform block sound.
• The cue-size notes in the SSA voicing work best when distributed among stronger singers in your soprano and alto sections, allowing them to carry the weight while blending with the full ensemble.
• Balance the parts carefully during full SATB sections to ensure no voice overwhelms the others; this text deserves to be heard clearly at every dynamic level.

Pair this with other contemporary secular works for a concert that celebrates living composers, or use it as an accessible contrast to more demanding repertoire in a festival program. The piece works equally well as a concert closer or as part of a thematic program exploring poetry and song.

• Balancing independent melodic lines while maintaining ensemble blend
• Interpreting poetic text through vocal line shaping and phrasing
• Flexible voicing and optional divisi writing
• Lyrical singing technique in moderate ranges